Liquid discharge head

Abstract

A discharge port array is inclined to a second direction B at an angle θ that satisfies a relation of tan θ=d2/(N×d1), where d1 is a distance between discharge ports within the discharge port array in the second direction B, and d2 is a distance between two adjacent discharge ports within each group in a first direction.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A liquid discharge head configured to discharges liquid to a recording medium conveyed in a first direction, the liquid discharge head comprising:
 a recording element board including:
 a plurality of discharge ports for discharging liquid; 
 a plurality of pressure chambers communicating with the plurality of discharge ports, respectively, and each including thereinside an energy generating element configured to generate energy to be used for discharging liquid; and 
 a common supply path communicating with the plurality of pressure chambers and configured to supply liquid to the plurality of pressure chambers, 
 
 wherein the plurality of discharge ports forms a discharge port array arrayed in an inclined manner with respect to a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, 
 wherein adjacent pressure chambers in an array direction of the discharge port array communicate with each other via only the common supply path, 
 wherein the plurality of discharge ports is divided into N number of groups (N≥2), each of the groups includes a plurality of discharge ports arranged every Nth discharge port, and the N number of groups sequentially perform liquid discharge operations on a group basis according to time division in such a manner that each of a plurality of discharge ports belonging to a same group discharges liquid at a same time and a plurality of discharge ports belonging to different groups successively discharges liquid in array order, and 
 wherein the discharge port array is inclined to the second direction by an angle θ that satisfies a relation of tan θ=d2/(N×d1), where d1 is a distance between discharge ports within the discharge port array in the second direction, and d2 is a distance between two adjacent discharge ports within each of the groups in the first direction. 
 
     
     
       2. The liquid discharge head according to  claim 1 , comprising a plurality of the recording element boards arranged side by side in a line in the second direction. 
     
     
       3. The liquid discharge head according to  claim 2 , wherein the recording element board is a parallelogram in planar shape. 
     
     
       4. The liquid discharge head according to  claim 3 , wherein the plurality of recording element boards is arranged in such a manner that a distance between adjacent discharge ports on one recording element board in the second direction substantially same as a distance between discharge ports within the discharge port array on the adjacent recording element boards in the second direction. 
     
     
       5. The liquid discharge head according to  claim 4 , wherein liquid is discharged at a same time from discharge ports arranged at same positions in the second direction on the adjacent recording element boards. 
     
     
       6. The liquid discharge head according to  claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of the recording element boards arranged in a staggered pattern in the second direction. 
     
     
       7. The liquid discharge head according to  claim 1 , wherein the recording element board is arranged in such a manner that a longitudinal direction thereof is parallel to the second direction, and the discharge port array is arrayed in an inclined manner with respect to the longitudinal direction of the recording element board. 
     
     
       8. The liquid discharge head according to  claim 1 , wherein the recording element board is arranged in such a manner that a longitudinal direction thereof is inclined to the second direction, and the discharge port array is arrayed parallel to the longitudinal direction of the recording element board. 
     
     
       9. The liquid discharge head according to  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of discharge ports is arranged across a width direction of the recording element board. 
     
     
       10. The liquid discharge head according to  claim 1 , wherein liquid inside the pressure chambers is circulated and from an external unit. 
     
     
       11. A liquid discharge head configured to discharges liquid to a recording medium conveyed in a first direction, the liquid discharge head comprising:
 a recording element board including:
 a plurality of discharge ports for discharging liquid; 
 a plurality of pressure chambers communicating with the plurality of discharge ports, respectively, and each including thereinside an energy generating element configured to generate energy to be used for discharging the liquid; and 
 a common supply path communicating with the plurality of pressure chambers and configured to supply liquid to the plurality of pressure chambers, 
 
 wherein the plurality of discharge ports forms a plurality of parallel discharge port arrays arrayed in an inclined manner with respect to a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, 
 wherein at least some of M number of successive pressure chambers (M≥2) in an array direction of each of the discharge port arrays communicate with each other, 
 wherein the plurality of discharge ports is divided into N number of groups (N≥2), each of the groups includes a plurality of discharge ports arranged every Nth discharge port in a same discharge port array and a plurality of discharge ports arranged at same positions in the second direction in different discharge port arrays, and the N number of groups sequentially perform liquid discharge operations on a group basis according to time division in such a manner that a plurality of discharge ports belonging to a same group in a same discharge port array discharges liquid at a same time and a plurality of discharge ports belonging to different groups in different discharge port arrays successively discharges liquid, 
 wherein the plurality of discharge ports forms at least M number of the discharge port arrays if N is equal to or larger than M (N≥M), and forms at least N number of the discharge port arrays if M is larger than N (M>N), and 
 wherein each of the discharge port arrays is inclined to the second direction by an angle θ that satisfies a relation of tan θ=d2/(N×d1), where d1 is a distance between discharge ports within each of the discharge port arrays in the second direction, and d2 is a distance between two adjacent discharge ports within each of the groups in the first direction.